The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are actively on the hunt for disgruntled Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) leaders that were not renominated and did not find favour with ruling party supremo and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao in the list of candidates for 115 out of the 119 Assembly constituencies announced two days ago.
The exercise to lure the unhappy BRS leaders into their respective party folds has not fructified yet. The Congress and the BJP leadership expected a mass exodus of leaders from the ruling party over to their side in the wake of the list’s announcement. But, that does not seem to be the case, as leaders of some standing and MLAs who failed to make it into the list have not yet clarified their position. Some have held meetings with their supporters but refrained from taking any drastic action like quitting the party.
Two days since the release of the BRS list, the only sign of any open rebellion is from Khanapur MLA Rekha Naik, whose husband Ajmeera Shyam Naik joined the Congress party, sending a clear signal that she is also on her way to the join the party soon. Of the seven sitting MLAs who failed to get renominated, four have already reposed full faith in the leadership of party supremo and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao.
